Improvement in nail-presenting mechanisms for boots and shoes



IMPROVEMENT IN NAIL-PRESENTlNG MECHANISMS FOR BOOTS AND SHOES.

speaincatipn forming para of `Letters Patent No. lease/r, dated July 23, 1872.

` and RADLEY l?. FAIRFIELD, both of Boston, in the county of Su'olkand State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improved Nail-Presenting Mechanism for Boot and Shoe Heels;

and We do hereby declare that the following,

a taken in connection with theV drawing which accompanies and forms part of this specification, is a description of our invention sufficient to enable those skilled inthe Aart to practice it.

The invention relates partiularlyto an organization of mechanism for-selecting nails and delivering them one by one, inupright position `and regularly or successively, into holes punched for their `reception ill bOOt or shoe heels or heel-blanks; the mechanism for turningthe heel land presenting its punched holes and the mechanism for receiving and presentingthe nails being so connected and so co-operative that at each intermittent action of the machine a nail is presented to the heel and dropped, pushed, or driven into one of v.the punched holes made in the heel for reception of the nails, the nails being taken or passing from a hopper through `a conductor to the periphery of a vertically-setting wheel, passing into radial pockets in said wheel, the wheel being mounted on a stationary axle or pin, and having an intermittent rotative motion. The invention consists, primarily, in an organization of mechanism, or `in a machine in which, from a loose assemblage of nails, nails are taken, one by one, carried into position to be dropped or driven into. a properly-presented heel, the movements of the heel, in connection with those of the nail holding and presenting mechanism for inserting the successive nails, being automatic. The invention may be used, and is particularly intended for use, in connection with a nail selecting and. presenting mechanism similar to what is shown in United States Letters Patent No. 118,250, dated August 22, 1871, granted to one of us, although it may be used in'connection with any other suitable nail selecting and presenting mechanism.

i The drawing represents a machine embodyin g our invention.

A is a vertical section on the line w x. B

is a vertical section on the line Yy y. Gis a sectional plan on the line z z.

a denotes a bed or base-plate, from which extends a vertical standard or frame, b, having at its upper` part a nail-box or hopper, c. This hopperhas inclined sides, d, and under it is the spout or conductor e, leading-,to the periphery of the wheel f. The width of the open mouth-0f theSpOlli may correspond with the Width of the bottomof the hopper, and the hopperslides uponrails g and a seat, h, and has at its bottom platest', which, by reciprocating slide movement of the hopper, and as the nails settle by such reciprocating movement, pushes the nails over the opening ofthe spout,rso vthat they `fall head-foremost into the spout, and drop down to the periphery of the wheelf, the mechanism for compelling each nail to drop head down not being shown. This Wheel is made with a series of radial nail-receiving pockets or slots, Z, each slot being of a width and length to receive the nail-head and shank. At the back of the wheel are ratchetteeth or a ratchet-wheehm, with which teeth or wheel engages a drag-pawl, n, pressed against the Wheel by a spring, o, and jointed at its lower end to a slide, p. At each downward movement of the slide the pawl acts upon the wheel to turn it, and, by turning, it brings one of the radial slots or pockets into vertical position, and directly under the nail spout or conductor, another of the slots or pockets being at thejsame time brought into vertical position at the lower side of the wheel, the latter one being charged with a nail, which it holds in position to enter the heel. The upper slot or pocket being thus brought under the nail-tube or spout a nail drops into it from the nail-tube, the nail passing head-iirst into the slot, and the head bringing up against the 'periphery of a stationary disk or wheel, u, a`

griper or spring-stop, fw, projecting from an arm, a1,pivoted at b1, being pressed toward or into the slot by a spring, w, but being thrown` from the slot by the action of a cam-piece, d1, projecting from the disk u, as the pocket approaches a position to receive the nail, so that the head of the nail passes freely by the griper. When the wheel next moves, after thus receiving the nail, the griper passes by the cam-piece, and the spring then throws the griperagainst the nail, and holds it until, by the action of a driver, s,it is driven down from the slot. At each intermittent movement of the wheel a nail thus enters a nail-slot or pocket, and the wheel, with charged pockets on one side, turns until, by a succession of movements, the first nail reaches a vertical position in the lower part of the wheel. In the front part of the frame b is a second slide, r, which carries the driver s, Working in a vertical slot, t, on the face of the disk u, on which the wheelf turns. At each stop of the Wheel j' a charged nail-slot, l, is directlyr under or in line with the driver-slot t. The slider is connected with the pawl-slide p by rocker-links fv, and as the pawl-slide moves up, leaving the wheel stationary, the driver-slide moves down, and the driver enters the charged slotbeneath it, and drives therefrom the nail, the driver pressing forward and passing by the griper fw. When the driver-slide moves up, after driving the nail, the pawl-slide moves down, and the pawl turns the Wheel to present an empty pocket to the nail-tube, and a charged pocket to the driver.

The driver drives or pushes the nail into the heel which is mounted and fed as follows: a2 denotes the heel or heelblank, made up of a suitable number of lifts, and, preferably, prepared with nail receiving punched holes, punched in accordance with the position the nails are to have in the nailed heel. The heel or heel-blank is placed on top of a plate, b2, with its breast against a breastgage, c2, which gage may be made adjustable for different heels. The under side of the plate b2 has a pattern-groove, d, into which extends a pin, e2, projecting up from a slide-plate, f2, and a center-pin, g2, extends down from the plate b2 into an oblong slot, h2, in a block, t, upon which the heel-plate b2 rests, the plate b2, as it is turned on the block, having its movement guided by the pin e2 and slot d2 and the pin gz and slot h2, so that the straight part of the heel and the round part are, in succession brought under the naildriver and nail-wheel to receive the straight row of nails parallel with the breast, and the circular or curved row of nails concentric with the circular or curved contour of the heel, and the heel and heel-plate being held down by a suitable spring, k2.

The intermittent movement of the heel-plate may be produced as follows: The heel-plate is provided with a series of peripherally-projecting teeth, l2 m2, and the paWl-slide with two inclines, n2 o2. As the pawl-slide moves down, the incline n2 passes down against one of the teeth-entering between two of themand, acting laterally upon said tooth, turns the heel-plate slightly, and when the pawlslide rises the other incline, o2, strikes one of the teeth and completes the movement of the plate, the incline o2 acting before the driver reaches the nail, and the shank of the incline entering between the teeth and locking the plate in position for the action of the driver.

The mechanism may, of course, be greatly modified so far as relates to specific details. The machineis shown as arranged to be worked by hand; but it will be obvious that it may be arranged to be worked by power, both as relates to producing the movements of the nailreceiving Wheel,the driver, and the heel-plate, and as relates to producing the movements of the hopper.

We claiml. The combination of a nail receiving and presenting wheel, a conductor or tube for delivering nails to said wheel, and a heel-presenting mechanism, substantially as described.

2. Also, the combination of the nail receiving and presenting wheel and the driver, arranged to operate substantially as described.

3. Also, in combination with the nail receiving and presenting wheel, a heel-plate, automatically and intermittently moved, to present the nails in succession in position to be driven, substantially as described.

4. Also, in combination with the wheel f and the driver s, the spring-stops w, substantially as shown and described.

ALBION KNOWLTON. H. P. FAIRFIELD.

Witnesses FRANoIs GoULD, M. W. FROTHINGHAM. 

